


Impractical Magick

by midnightghostwriter



Category: Monsta X (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama, Magic AU, Other, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, platonic ot7
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2018-08-24 01:24:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8350840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightghostwriter/pseuds/midnightghostwriter
Summary: Jeon Jungkook is just a freshman aiming to major in business when he accidentally awakens something very not scientific within him. Something that has a group of upperclassmen very interested in getting to know him.





	1. Chapter 1

Curtains of silvery light draped themselves over trees, rocks, and grass in the darkened swath of forest, as if the moon herself dwelt on the Earth, watching, bestowing her blessing upon the figures that stepped out of the trees into her light. The shadows released them, allowing three human forms to be illuminated. The features of two remained indistinguishable from the darkness, but the third was a tall boy, all lanky limbs and straight lines. His eyes were sharp behind the spectacles perched on his nose, surveying the area as if searching for unwanted company. Seeming satisfied, he turned to the others.

“It’s almost time,” one man stated gravely.

“Have you found him yet?” The second asked, and the boy shook his head.

“No. But we’re still looking,” he assured, the words treading carefully past his full lips in low, somber tones. “Jimin is trying every locator, seeker, and search spell he knows. We’ll find him.”

“We have to hurry,” the second man murmured. “If they find him first, it’ll be too late.” The boy nodded, features twisted with solemnity.

“I know. We will. I promise, Master.” The men nodded.

“We know you will, Namjoon. You haven’t let us down yet.”

“And I won’t start now. He’s close, I know it.” The two men gave Namjoon one more nod, then disappeared back into the shadows. With them gone, he released a sigh and glanced up at the moon where it shone down on him.

“So mote it be,” he murmured. _Please. We don’t have much time._

* * *

If one were to ask his opinion on magick, Jeon Jungkook would tell you firmly that it was fantasy nonsense, and not something he believed in the existence of, not even a little bit. He was always someone who dealt in the realms of fact and science, even despite the whispers of more supernatural phenomena increasing over the years.

Which was about to make his life infinitely more confusing.

Jungkook was a university student, bright-eyed and filled with the drive of first years yet to realize the true stress of academia. Determined to rise to the top of his class, and be among the best of those hoping to enter his major, he had made trips to the campus library a nearly daily thing for the purposes of studying. At this point, approaching midterms for his second semester, he knew the place almost as well as his own name. _Almost_.

But there were still some corners he was unaware of, and the part of the library housing the school archives was one such place. He’d yet to find himself in need of the histories confined within them, and thus avoided them. It was almost always empty of anyone at all, and rather eerie with the way it was tucked into a corner that received almost no light, so most students also gave it wide berth. But tonight, he was making an exception.

His shoes made almost no noise on the carpet as he moved among the shelves, searching their labels for the year of the article he sought. He wound his way down the aisles of silent records, the lights getting dimmer the further back he went. Why did they even have any need to keep these rotting pieces of tree pulp from so long ago? Wasn’t everything in the _digital_ archives these days?

Just as he was beginning to give up hope, both on his search and on the possibility of finding his way back to the main part of the library, lo and behold there was the section he’d been looking for. Relieved, he began to peruse the shelved documents with renewed vigor. It _had_ to be here somewhere…

A few moments later, something _did_ catch his eye, but it was not what he’d come in here looking for. Rather than the old, yellowing newspaper he’d been expecting, a large book in what appeared to be bound leather was nestled a ways down the shelf. At first he was determined to ignore it, but the more he did, the stronger his curiosity grew. If he didn’t know better, he might almost say it was as if the object was… pulling him closer. Before he knew it, he had moved over and was grasping the spine of the book.

The second he did, he froze, all his muscles seizing up, like he’d been electrocuted. But instead of the sharp, stinging buzz of electricity, something more like an intense burning sensation ran up his arm before spreading through his body. It was alien but not uncomfortable, something about it ringing with a note of familiarity that made a forgotten part of his heart ache.

Then all at once it was over, and the world went dark.

* * *

Across campus and a few blocks away, a boy with chestnut hair rumpled from sleep bolted upright in bed, eyes darting about and skin humming with the remains of an odd mix of energy, partly foreign and partly familiar. Whatever it was, it was powerful. There was no chance of identifying the strange energy, but he knew the other almost as well as his own. With a groan, he rolled out from under the sheets and trudged to the door across the hall. Raising a tired fist, he banged on the wood.

“Taehyung! Wake up!” He stopped knocking when the sound of sheets rustling could be heard. A few moments later, a tall blonde boy was squinting blearily at him from the doorway.

“Jiminie,” he whined in a low voice not at all in accordance with the cutesy nickname. “I’m trying to sleep.” Rolling his eyes, the shorter boy slapped his arm lightly.

“Focus, Tae. Did you leave your grimoire lying around at school?” _Again_ , he added silently, but spared his roommate as he watched him frown.

“Maybe… Why? Jimin, what’s going on?” Jimin suppressed another groan and gave Tae a light shove back towards the room behind him.

“Get dressed, we gotta go see Namjoon.” Taehyung hardly budged at the contact from the shorter boy, and his frown deepened.

“At this hour? Why?”

“Because,” Jimin said, fixing him with a pointed stare, “someone very powerful may have just found your grimoire.” Taehyung’s eyes widened.

“ _ **Oh!**_ You don’t think…?” Jimin shrugged and turned to go back to his own room.

“I don’t know. Namjoon will have to decide that. Now hurry up. I need to still be able to describe that weird energy when we get there.”

* * *

“Namjoon! Jimin and Taehyung are here! They say it’s urgent!” A cheerful voice called down the hall beyond the door of a tall boy with ashen hair. But with headphones stuck firmly in his ears, he remained oblivious. He hummed along to the song as he thumbed through the withering pages of an old tome, completely unaffected until --

“NAMJOON!” Someone was shouting in his ear. He jumped, successfully knocking a stack of papers off his desk as his long limbs flailed. Glaring, he met the shining ocher eyes of the guilty party, who still held the cord of Namjoon’s headphones he’d rather forcefully unplugged. Orange hair filled his vision as Hoseok leaned down to look at him.

“Dude, we’ve been yelling your name for like ten minutes.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Namjoon huffed as he bent down to scoop up the mess of papers. Great, he’d have to spend at least an hour reorganizing them by philosopher and era again later. 

“Maybe a little,” Hoseok quipped dismissively, unfazed by his friend’s dilemma. “But that’s not important right now! Just - come on!” The moment the stack was returned to Namjoon’s desk, Hoseok grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the room.

On the couch in the minimalist lounge, Taehyung and Jimin (now sporting locks of a brown so dark they were almost black), sat whispering to each other. They stopped when the elder boys came into the room, watching as Namjoon sat down in the adjacent armchair and Hoseok leaned against the wall.

“This had better be good,” Namjoon griped. Jimin nodded and Taehyung grinned eagerly.

“It is!” Jimin elbowed him.

“Don’t sound so proud, this is partly because you almost revealed us to Mundanes, remember?” Taehyung shrugged at Jimin’s scolding, content to watch the other turn back to Namjoon. “I woke up earlier because I felt a huge surge of magick energy. _From across campus_.” Hoseok raised an eyebrow.

“Sure you weren’t just having weird dreams, Jiminie? It is just about that time of the month.” Three sets of eyes landed on him and Hoseok waved a hand, eyes rolling. “The new moon, don’t be weird.”

“This coming from you?” Namjoon wondered, the hint of a smirk pulling at his lips. Hoseok stuck his tongue out as Jimin cleared his throat.

“ _ **No**_ Hoseok I’m not getting mixed energy from the moon or whatever you’re trying to imply.” He looked at Namjoon again. “Hyung, I’ve never felt anything like this. Whoever it was, they found Taehyung’s grimoire and it… I don’t know, but something must have happened.” Namjoon’s eyes snapped to the blonde next to Jimin.

“Someone _found_ your grimoire? Taehyung we talked about this,” he scolded, and Taehyung withered.

“That’s not the important part,” Tae whined. “Jimin thinks it might be _him_.” This time, all eyes in the room locked on Jimin, who shifted uneasily, uncomfortable at the sudden intensity of focus on him.

“I-It’s just a guess but… Master did say that he might have been dormant. It would explain why I’ve never felt his energy before, and it’s possible coming into contact with Tae’s grimoire was a catalyst for his power.” The room was quiet as all parties seemed to contemplate this new possibility.

“You said it came from across campus?” Jimin nodded. “So he could be a student here…”

“That narrows the search at least,” Hoseok said with a nod, his earlier jovial attitude erased by utter seriousness.

“But not by much,” Namjoon added. “Even so, this is a good start. You were right to come tell me Jimin.” The boy sat up a little taller at this, perking up at the notion of praise.

“So… what are we going to do now?” Taehyung asked. Namjoon sighed and steepled his fingers as he surveyed his friends.

“We’ll fill Yoongi and Seokjin in tomorrow. But for now, all we can really do is wait. Until there’s a more concrete sign that he’s among the student body, we can’t make any moves. If we do, we might scare him off, or alert _them_ that we’re onto something.” The other three nodded and Namjoon stood up. “Everyone get some sleep - Jimin, Taehyung, you guys can stay here tonight. It’s too late to go wandering back to your place. Rest well. Tomorrow, the real hunt begins.”

* * *

When the pounding behind his eyes had subsided somewhat, Jungkook was able to open his eyes enough to squint at his surroundings. What he saw had him sitting up so fast his head spun. He had expected to find himself on the floor of the archive section, where he’d fallen before. He had also expected it to be dark out, thinking perhaps he’d passed out for only a few minutes at most.

Instead, he was sprawled on the floor of his dorm room, sunlight dripping in through the blinds. His phone buzzed from its spot in his pocket, trapped between the floor and his leg, jolting him from his shocked reverie. Pulling it out, he was unsurprised to see scattered texts from his friends, but the numbers of the clock on his lock screen were something else.

_“SHIT!”_ He screeched, stumbling as he rushed to get up from the floor. To the bathroom to attempt to fix his hair, then back to the bedroom to search for clothes – God he was so, so late, his professor was gonna kill him! It was as he was pulling on his shoes that a rather startling thought occurred to him.

_How had he gotten home?_

Jungkook had no history of sleepwalking or anything, but there was no other explanation for how he’d gotten from the library to his room. The only alternative was that all of last night was a dream, but given the MIA status of his class materials, that was even more unlikely. But sleepwalking across campus with absolutely no memory of it and no one noticing…?

As his thoughts continued to swirl in a chaotic mess about his mind, his eyes landed on an object sitting on the floor near where he’d awoken earlier. Cradled by the carpet, the strange book from the library sat innocuously before him. Looking at it gave him a strange, unsettled feeling, like the thing was watching him. Unnerved, he reached down and picked it up, intending to tuck it in a corner of the room and forget all about it. When he grabbed it, however, that odd warm feeling filled him again, but without the same painful intensity as before.

Startled, he let out a yelp and dropped the offending object on his bed, but the feeling lingered. It dropped to a low hum beneath his skin, in his blood, as if it were a slumbering cat trying to say _Well I’ll be here if you need me_.

_But I don’t need you!_ He thought, panic rising in him. _I want you to go away and leave me alone. I just want to go to class and forget about all this!_

At that moment, there was a loud _thud_ , and Jungkook whipped his head around to see his door had slammed itself shut. Bewildered, he came to the belated realization that a strong wind had picked up, throwing his room into a frenzy. But with both the door and window closed, such a thing shouldn’t have been possible. Not unless… That was impossible, though. Wasn’t it?

_That wasn’t him, was it?_


	2. Chapter 2

“You know drinking so much coffee stunts your growth, right?”

“And you know nagging gives you premature wrinkles,  _ right _ ?”

“You just made that up!”

“All hail the oh-so-wise Kim Seokjin. He has the power to recognize obvious bullshit.”

At this, the taller of two boys who had been crossing their campus quad to one of the scattered picnic tables scoffed and smacked the shorter, who was sipping at a cup of coffee. The action was rewarded with a roll of the shorter boy’s eyes as they sat.

“Forgive me for looking out for the health of my friends,” Seokjin muttered. His companion sighed.

“If I ever want your advice, Jin, I’ll ask for it,” the dark-haired male grunted, but the words held a softer edge than before. What Yoongi, for that was his name, would never tell Jin or any of their friends, however, was  _ why  _ he was scarcely ever seen without a piping hot dose of caffeine (and yet somehow managed to sleep at all hours of the day).

Unfortunately for him, Yoongi could see auras - rings and pulses of colored light that surrounded any given person. And Min Yoongi could see them all. Every. Single.  _ One. _ The flashing array that made up the student body was a headache to trump all others, so he downed unhealthy amounts of steaming brew and pumped hip hop through his headphones (the other accessory he was never without) to keep his mind too active to focus, until he crashed so hard he fell right into the dark, welcoming, blissful void of sleep. There was no color there, just endless black and no need to think. Paradise.

Jin and the others were well aware of his ability, of course, but not its debilitating nature and its resulting caffeine abuse. And he preferred to keep it that way.

Yoongi was jolted from his thoughts by a flash of pink and the abrupt presence of Jin’s elbow in his side. He grunted in annoyance and looked from the calming stability of the brown table grain just as the elder leaned back.

“Here they come,” Jin muttered, like Yoongi couldn’t see the other four figures hurrying toward them, auras shining even brighter than those of the crowd around them. That was one annoying thing about his friends; due to the fact they all possessed magick, their auras carried an extra shine that made them impossible to ignore, especially now. There was Tae’s familiar sunny yellow; Jimin’s blue, muddled with hints of black and brown; the friendly orange that matched Hoseok’s hair; and finally, Namjoon their leader, whose normally regal purple hue carried the same distortions as Jimin’s. Had something happened? Before he could ask anything, however, Namjoon was sitting down across from him and speaking, robbing Yoongi of the chance.

“We have a situation,” he began.

“I gathered.” Namjoon gave Yoongi a look that the latter returned with an unconcerned shrug.

“We might have found  _ him _ ,” Taehyung declared without any sort of preamble. Yoongi and Jin gave him equally disbelieving looks while Hoseok rolled his eyes.

“ _ Might have. _ Nothing is sure yet,” the orange-haired boy elaborated. Namjoon nodded.

“Tell them what you told me, Jimin,” he instructed gently. Jimin, who Yoongi noticed now sported midnight blue locks almost blending into his aura, took a breath and launched into a retelling of the night’s events. When he was done, a troubled feeling settled in the atmosphere.

“So there’s a chance he’s among us, but we have no way of knowing for sure until he does something again? That’s a dangerous gamble Namjoon. If he really did  _ just  _ awaken his abilities, he probably won’t realize what he’s doing. He could really hurt someone,” Jin fretted, a worried frown creasing his otherwise flawless skin.

“That’s why everyone needs to be on extra alert for the time being. Especially Yoongi and Jimin. You two in particular will have an edge on finding this person the rest of us don’t. If anyone sees anything out of the ordinary, let me know immediately.  _ No one  _ is to approach him unless given the okay. We can’t afford to make a mistake about this, or make any moves that might show our hand to  _ them _ ,” Namjoon instructed, looking far more grave than usual. In the years he’d known him, Yoongi had seen their fearless leader look serious, but not like this. Now he looked less like a philosophy student contemplating life’s mysteries, and more like a general getting ready to go into battle. And that was what had him nodding agreement without any objection or jokes about the matter.

“I’ll gather some extra things for a new round of search and locator spells. Jimin, can you use what you felt about that person’s energy to look for them?” Jin asked. Bottom lip between his teeth, Jimin nodded hesitantly.

“I can try,” he answered quietly. Namjoon hummed approvingly.

“Alright, we’ll meet in the usual spot when everyone is done with class. For now, just stay alert. See you then.”

* * *

 

For the rest of the day, Jungkook was unbelievably on edge. He didn’t bother going to the classes he  _ hadn’t _ slept through, sending emails to his professors with a weak story about how studying so hard so late for midterms had made him ill (his calculus professor was the only one who didn’t buy the story). He received a modicum of consolation from the discovery that the library staff had saved his things from being ransacked when he vanished the night before. With a sheepish apology and mutterings about spacing out and forgetting, he scurried from the place as fast as possible, eager to forget the real reason.

As for the odd book… He had meant to leave it in his room, to let it stay forgotten until he knew what do with it. Even if he couldn’t possibly belive  _ it  _ was the cause of that freaky gust of wind (because he refused to consider the possibility it was himself), the thing still gave him some weird vibes he wanted nothing to do with. But it had felt equally wrong to just leave it lying around in the dorm, like the damn thing was begging for him to bring it – so it was nestled between his textbooks in his bag, and he was trying very hard to forget it was there.

Desperate to shake the uncertainty and other tumultuous thoughts plaguing him, Jungkook had agreed to meet some of his friends at the nearby coffee shop, the promise of food, company and notes from classes he’d missed too promising to pass up. It was a short walk from his dorm, and should have been the most uneventful part of the last twenty-four hours. And for most of the way, it was. That is until he bumped shoulders with a girl rushing past him on the sidewalk. Head down and long hair shielding most of her face from him, it was impossible to see her lips move, but as they crashed into one another, he heard her speak as if she had looked right at him.

_ God I wish I hadn’t said that! This is such a mess. He’ll think I’m some kind of maniac now, too. But I can’t go back… I just can’t! _

Startled, Jungkook stopped in his tracks and turned to say something, but the girl was gone, already several yards away behind him. Shaking it off as her sorrowful ramblings, he hurried the rest of the way down the street, and into the coffee shop.

The place was packed to bursting with folk of all kinds at this hour – students seeking a more peaceful environment than busy dorms to study; others headed to night classes chugging ventis to stay awake; and of course the post-office-hours metropolitans headed back home, in search of something to take the edge off the day. The low chatter of all buzzed through the air, but he still managed to hear someone call his name, and turned to see Yugyeom and Minwoo waving him over to the table they’d managed to secure in this madhouse. He shoved as gently as possible through a pack of giggling girls clutching pumpkin spice concoctions, and collapsed in the chair across from his friends.

“Dude, you look awful. Did you even sleep?” Yugyeom commented, not even bothering to think about the overly brutal honesty of his words. Minwoo rolled his eyes.

“He was probably up all night with his real girlfriend, _ studying _ . You’re practically married to those textbooks man,” he taunted, just barely avoiding the slap Jungkook leaned over to aim at his head.

“Shut up, both of you. I just couldn’t sleep, that’s all. I wasn’t feeling good.” He  _ was  _ passed out, after all - that wasn’t something healthy people did.

“Whatever,” Minwoo dismissed, reaching into his bag. He passed the stack of photocopied lined paper to Jungkook. “You may be be a weirdo, but I still like you so here. God forbid you didn’t slack off just  _ once  _ in your life.”

“If I’m weird,” Jungkook answered, ignoring the last part of Minwoo’s comment with expert ease, “what does that make you two?”

“Your voices of reason,” Yugyeom answered without missing a beat. Jungkook cast him the least amused glance he could manage.

_ Ugh I wish I was friends with Yugyeom. He’s sooo dreamy,  _ Jungkook heard a girl’s voice say, breaking into the thread of conversation, and he couldn’t mask his snicker. The others gave him curious looks.

“What, you guys didn’t hear that?” Jungkook asked, and they shook their heads. “Hyemi from Stats pretty much just announced to like the entire cafe that she thinks Yugyeom is ‘dreamy.’” Behind them, a girl let out a scandalized shriek, followed by the sound of her chair pushing away, and the cafe door ringing.

_ Oh my god, what an asshole!  _ One of the other girls scoffed, glaring at Jungkook.

“I’m not the asshole,” he replied, and her expression shifted into one of surprise. “Hyemi shouldn’t have said it for the whole world to hear.”

“She didn’t say anything, you jerk -  _ you _ did!” The girl snapped.

“No, she was the one who told the entire room about her little crush. Everyone heard it.” She gave him one last scathing look, and stood up to follow her friend outside. Jungkook turned to his friends, who were giving him the same odd looks as before.

“What?”

“Dude,” Yugyeom said slowly, “Hyemi  _ didn’t  _ say anything. And neither did Minah.”

“Look I know you guys feel bad, but you don’t have to  _ lie.  _ It’s - “

Suddenly, the voices of the other cafe patrons, previously white noise to him, rose to a roar in Jungkook’s ears, as if everyone was screaming at him.

_ I have to finish this paper or I’m screwed - _

_ I wonder if Jikyun did the laundry - _

_ UGH! They got my order wrong - _

_ No one should be caught dead in  _ that _ - _

_ Is Jungkook okay? _

Overwhelmed, Jungkook tugged his hands from where he’d thrown them over his ears and slammed them on the table, making the others jump.

“ _ ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!!” _

* * *

 

It was Thursday, Hoseok’s favorite day of the week (though truth be told he liked them all). Today meant the coffee shop he inhabited for his part time job was busy with people getting that kick to help them through to the end of the week, and who better to assist than him? With his sunny smile and quick moves, he was the perfect barista. And his other…  _ talent  _ certainly didn’t hurt his cause.

Jimin had his energy sensitivity ( _ Empathy _ , he often corrected Hoseok), Yoongi his auras, etc. Hoseok in particular was gifted at charms. He was no master spellweaver like Namjoon, but bestowing luck or good fortune? None excelled more at these little things quite like he did.

And that was why he loved a busy day at the cafe. No one paid any mind when he murmured a quick incantation over drinks as he mixed, and just knowing he was helping them at all, made him just as happy.

Then, it happened.

The line at the counter was slowing down, so Hoseok stood chatting with one of his coworkers (a fellow dancer his age named Minji) when a boy blew in past the register to sit with his friends. At first it didn’t bother him, but in the boy’s wake something odd settled in the air. If he didn’t know better, Hoseok would’ve said it was…  _ magick.  _ But what were the odds the source of the weird energy Jimin sensed last night would suddenly show up here? So he brushed it off.

For a few minutes, everything was normal despite Hoseok’s nagging feeling to the contrary. Customers and coffee came and went, someone broke a cup – normal, boring Thursday stuff. The end of his shift, and subsequent meet up with his friends, were close in sight, when all hell broke loose.

First, a girl from a table behind the boy he’d noticed earlier went running out, looking ready to burst into tears. When she was gone, one of her friends exchanged heated words with the boy before storming out as well. Peace seemed to settle in, and if it weren’t for the sudden spike in the odd energy from earlier, Hoseok would’ve believed it was over.

By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

It took all of maybe ten seconds, tops. Normal chatter had resumed, Minji asking him something about their upcoming midterm. Then –

“ _ ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!!” _

The command rang through the air of the small space, the weight of the magick it held hitting Hoseok in the chest like a champion UFC fighter had sucker punched him. And as he was floundering for air to breathe again, that same energy settled heavily in the air, and the café fell silent as a cemetery. He watched in a mix of horror and amazement as a few people opened and closed their mouths, but not a single sound broke the utter silence. Not even  _ he  _ could seem to make his vocal cords function properly.

_ It couldn’t be… _

Mind racing, he watched as the boy from before shoved his chair back, gathered his things, and disappeared out the door, muttering the whole way – the only sounds in the café.

_ Well shit. _

* * *

 

“Yeah, I just heard from Hoseok. Yeah, yeah, I know you warned us this might happen, I’m sorry we weren’t more prepared. Look Jin, at least no one was hurt. Just… don’t do anything for now, okay? I’ll take care of it.” Swiping across the  _ end call  _ button, Namjoon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

This was too much, too fast. They weren’t ready to handle this. He’d thought they’d have more time, that this kid’s powers would come in more slowly. Clearly, he’d been a fool. They needed to move, and fast. Unlocking his phone, Namjoon dialed a new number.

“Hey, it’s me. What I told you this morning? Forget it. I need you to do something…”

* * *

 

One of the good things about a school with such a large student body? News traveled more slowly. After the incident at the café, Jungkook had prepared himself for some backlash. And yes, some of his female classmates gave him icy stares and whispered. And his friends were ignoring his texts and attempts to talk. But he could handle that! He had simply expected…  _ more _, somehow. Thankfully, though, it seemed a large part of the school remained unaware of his, ah, outburst.

The isolation, despite being tolerable, left him with far too much time to think. After he’d left the café, the voices had quited, all but vanishing completely. Instead, he had been left once again with that buzzing beneath his skin, the warm hum in his blood that had followed all these incidents. It was weird and inexplicable, but it made him feel stronger, almost powerful.

What was happening to him? It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the possibility that  _ he  _ was the cause, the center of all of this. Whatever was happening, he wished it would stop so he could just go back to being a normal student.

Lost in his thoughts, Jungkook hadn’t noticed that he had been unconsciously treading the path to the library. Coming to his senses, he halted his steps, and turned to head to his dorm instead. Before he could move any further, though, there was a flash of heat from inside his bag. It rushed through him briefly before settling into an insistent pulse, something poking at him to pay attention.

Too late.

“Jeon Jungkook?” A low voice called. Jungkook whirled to find a tall boy, he had to be an upperclassmen since Jungkook had never seen him before, standing behind him. A cheerful smile split the tanned face beneath his blonde locks, the picture of friendly. And yet something about him was deeply unsettling, some part of his instincts telling Jungkook this guy was not to be messed with.

“Th-that’s me…” He stuttered eventually and the boy nodded.

“Thought so.” The blonde took a step forward, and Jungkook backed away instinctively.

“Look, if this is about yesterday, I’ve already apologized to Hyemi. Not that she was all that forgiving,” Jungkook babbled. What was this guy’s deal?

“Don’t care,” the stranger announced dismissively, taking another step. He was uncomfortably close now, and when he leaned toward Jungkook, the latter could see just how crystal blue his eyes were.  _ Those had to be contacts, right?  _ His brain wondered uselessly.

“Th-then why- “

“My name is Kim Taehyung,” the boy told him, voice cheerful like they were new friends, “and I believe you have something of mine.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, sorry it's taken me so long to update this! I've had some crazy life changes and a lack of muse to blame for that. I hope the length of this chapter makes up for it, at least! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me so far!
> 
> If you've been reading from Tumblr, I'll be reposting chapters one and two, plus this one, over the next few days!
> 
> Happy reading!

Eyes locked with Kim Taehyung, Jungkook felt his mind racing a million miles a minute. Everything in him screamed to run away, put as much distance between himself and this guy as possible. For all the friendly airs he put on, Taehyung seemed to be anything but. What was he talking about, anyway? Jungkook had never knowingly stolen in his life, and, last he’d checked, nothing he had belonged to anyone else. Nothing, perhaps, except…

As the thought crossed his mind, Taehyung’s crystalline orbs dropped to the bag slung over Jungkook’s shoulder. Before the younger could protest, Taehyung’s large hand in turn dropped to the zipper, yanking it open to reach inside.

“H-hey!” Jungkook yelped, heart racing in his chest as the other fished around. A moment later his face lit up, and he pulled out… the book Jungkook had found in the library. Taehyung dusted it off and grinned.

“There you are,” he cooed, like the leather-bound monstrosity was some kind of long lost pet. He cast a scolding look at Jungkook. “This is a mint condition first print of _Saga_ volume one, you know! Not some textbook you just shove in your bag!”

“Wh-wha…” Jungkook asked intelligently. Taehyung jabbed a finger in his direction.

“Even if it isn’t someone else’s, you should do a better job taking care of these things!”

“But, th-that’s not a comic book…” Jungkook told him meekly. Taehyung seemed to do a double take, and it was so comical Jungkook might have laughed if he wasn’t more than a little bit terrified.

“What did you say?” he demanded, leaning into Jungkook’s space again. The raven-haired boy balked, pointing at the book in question.

“That’s definitely not a copy of _Saga_.” A deathly stillness reigned for a moment as Taehyung seemed to scrutinize him and Jungkook tried not to sweat under his gaze.

“Yup, you’re right!” he announced finally, making Jungkook flinch.

“Huh? I am?” Taehyung chuckled and leaned back.

“You’re right, it’s not _Saga_. Not to us, anyway.” Nope, Jungkook was even more confused than before. Taehyung seemed to sense his befuddlement. “It’s hard to explain here. Just come on. Namjoon will explain everything, I promise.”

“Namjoon?” Jungkook wondered. Taehyung nodded eagerly.

“Our leader. If you come with me, he’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“What? No!” Jungkook snapped, backing away again. Clearly, this guy was crazy. “I’m not going anywhere with you! What is he the leader of, anyway? Your freaky cult? No thanks, I’m good!” Clutching the strap of his bag, Jungkook turned back in the direction of the library, intending to take a very, very circuitous route to his dorm so the weirdo couldn’t follow him.

“He can tell you about the things that keep happening to you. The random spikes in energy, the humming in your blood aching to break loose, even now.” Jungkook stopped a few feet away, looking over his shoulder. Taehyung’s earlier pretenses of friendliness had vanished. Now, he fixed Jungkook with an intensely serious stare. “You want to know what’s happening to you? Come with me.”

 

* * *

 

“I still can’t believe you sent Tae. He’s as likely to scare the kid off as get him to come with us.”

“Have a little faith, would you Yoongi?”

“ _Someone_ has to be the voice of reason since Namjoon’s apparently lost his.”

“More like the voice of pessimism.”

“Shut up, Hoseok!”

“No,” Namjoon cut in tersely, “ _both of you_ be quiet. Taehyung will bring him. Just wait.” Both boys fell silent, looking at each other with more than a little skepticism. Luckily, they only had to wait a few moments before the sound of the door opening, then closing, echoed down the hall.

“We’re here!” Taehyung’s cheerful voice preceded the entry of himself and a younger boy with inky hair and wide eyes, who was glancing around the room in a mix of terror and perhaps a bit of relief as Taehyung’s hand on his shoulder guided him in.

“Jeon Jungkook?” Namjoon asked. After Taehyung gave his shoulder a squeeze, the boy nodded. Namjoon stood, offering his hand to Jungkook who shook it hesitantly. “I’m Kim Namjoon.”

“Nice to meet you, I guess?” The hint of a smile twitched the corners of Namjoon’s lips.

“I wish the circumstances of our meeting were more… _normal_ ,” Namjoon began, sounding almost apologetic, but he was interrupted by a scoff. All eyes glanced at the source – a pale blonde boy, seated on the couch staring daggers at Jungkook and looking more annoyed to be present than anything else.

“That’s putting it lightly,” Yoongi remarked drily. Multiple sets of eyes rolled.

“Just ignore him, that’s what I do when he hasn’t had his coffee,” the orange-haired boy next to the couch remarked. The other boy’s elbow met his ribs a moment later, but he didn’t seem remotely bothered by this. Namjoon cleared his throat.

“Even so,” he continued, glossing effortlessly over the others with a pointed look, “we’re glad to finally meet you.”

“’Finally’?” Jungkook repeated, sounding dumbfounded.

“Please, sit. It may take some time to explain this.” Hesitant, Jungkook sat in the chair across from Namjoon.

“I’m not going crazy or anything, am I?” It was the first thing that popped out of his mouth and Jungkook could feel the amusement at his outburst almost palpably in the room. Namjoon offered him some relief in the form of a smile, as if he had almost expected such a question.

“No, you are not going crazy. Though after you hear what we have to say, you might almost hope you were.” Well that certainly didn’t bode well. With growing anxiety, he waited for Namjoon to continue. After a moment’s pause and a deep breath, he did.

 

* * *

 

For a few moments, Jungkook was stunned into silence. If he was being honest with himself, he had suspected something like this from the start. After all, there were some things in life that were just too fantastical for the likes of cold logic and science. But to hear it spelled out so plainly by Namjoon was… unsettling, if only because what he had been told shook the foundation of his world, of who he had always thought himself to be. And yet, it felt right.

His eyes slid from the tangle of nervous fingers in his lap, gliding across the faces of the other boys in the room. Taehyung he knew of course, and the tall blonde was now beaming that somewhat off-kilter box grin at him again. Shaking off the vague crawling sensation beneath his skin, Jungkook found himself trying to memorize their names again: Jin, the oldest and by far the most magical-looking of them all with his good looks (even he had to admit the boy was handsome); Hoseok (who insisted Jungkook call him Hobi) with his bright orange hair, and who Jungkook had recognized as a barista at the off-campus café he frequented; pale-haired Yoongi who had only nodded once when Namjoon introduced him and then continued glaring at the wall; and then Jimin, Taehyung’s roommate and the quietest after Yoongi, his hair constantly shifting colors while Namjoon spoke, which had fascinated Jungkook to no end. The boy in question gave Jungkook a tentative smile when their eyes met, and though it was an incredibly small gesture, it still comforted him somewhat.

He did his best to commit their names and faces to memory as quickly as possible. As Namjoon had said, after all, they were his coven now. _His coven._ It was such an odd thought. He had always assumed that witches and covens were dark and evil, like he’d always seen in movies and television. When he’d meekly suggested as much, Namjoon had chuckled, Yoongi had scoffed, and Hoseok had laughed outright.

“Do we _look_ evil and scary to you?” Hoseok had asked, fighting back his smile.

“Well, no,” Jungkook admitted. And they didn’t, if he was being honest. Sure, Taehyung had scared the crap out of him, and frankly this was all still more than a little bizarre to him, but he didn’t feel any sort of deceit in Namjoon’s words about what they were, or in the way they looked at him. It was more like they were curious about him than they didn’t trust him. And strangely, he felt much the same.

“So… now what? I hate to break it to you but I don’t exactly know the first thing about being a witch,” Jungkook pointed out. That serious light returned to Namjoon’s eyes, and Jungkook had the feeling he’d be seeing it a lot, and that it had much to do with why the sandy-haired boy was their leader despite his age.

“First things first.” Namjoon cast his gaze at Jin and Hobi. “I need you two to craft a charm of some sort that will help hide Jungkook’s powers until he can control them properly. Can you do that?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Jin shot back, as if Namjoon’s question had wounded his pride. “C’mon Hoseok, we’ll have to commandeer the kitchen.” With a quick smile at Jungkook from Jin, and a jaunty wave from Hobi, the pair disappeared into the hall.

“Why do I need to hide my powers? You said normal people can’t feel magick, right?” Namjoon frowned.

“For the most part that’s true. Everyone, even a Mundane, has the innate ability to feel certain things happening in the world, but only those like us can tap into its life force and use it for magick. When we do so, if you have the right amount of control and skill, Mundanes won’t notice anything is amiss. However…” He gave Jungkook a wry smile. “Think of what happened at the café. Since you don’t have any training, your abilities are too volatile, and they go off without you even thinking about it – and on a massive scale, too. We need to make sure those surges are either under control or unnoticed. It would cause too many questions.”

“And risk attracting _their_ attention,” Taehyung added. His mouth snapped shut when Namjoon glared at him, and Jungkook go the distinct feeling the blonde had said something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Attract whose attention? The Mundanes?” Namjoon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, as if the whole situation had given him a sudden headache. After a moment, he dropped his hand and shook his head.

“We’ve already thrown a lot at you, about magick and the coven. I don’t want to overwhelm you with this,” he said, clearly trying to steer the conversation away. “I’ll explain later, but for now just trust me, alright? The sooner we hide your powers and you learn to control them, the better.”

“A-alright, I guess,” Jungkook conceded. Seeming satisfied, Namjoon nodded, then glanced at his watch.

“It’s too late to try and start your training now. Believe it or not, we all go to school, too.”

“And since Namjoon is a huge nerd, he wouldn’t want magick to get in the way of studying,” Yoongi drawled, speaking up for the first time since Jungkook had arrived. He’d almost forgotten the pale boy was there. He expected Namjoon to look offended or something at the remark, but instead he just snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

“We can’t let it seem like anything is off about your life right now. Go to school and class, do your homework, the things you normally do. But we’ll also schedule a time for you to meet with us and start working on controlling your abilities. For now, Jin and Hobi’s charm will have to do.” Right on cue, there was a muffled bang from beyond the wall that had all eyes darting to the living room’s entry. A few moments later, the pair in question appeared, Hobi laughing and Jin looking moderately annoyed.

“Hoseok got a little overexcited as usual, but this should do the trick for now,” Jin said, smiling at Jungkook. In his hand, he held a crystal on a chain, offering it to Jungkook, who took it and held it up for closer inspection. It was such a dark purple it almost appeared black, and seemed to almost hold something swirling inside it. “Should conceal your powers enough to keep things from going haywire. And it’ll let us know where you are, should something happen.” Namjoon nodded.

“Thank you, both of you,” he told the boys. Jin just shrugged, and Hobi saluted comically. Namjoon rolled his eyes and turned back to Jungkook, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Keep that with you at all times, until we say otherwise. It’s for your protection just as much as anything else.”

“Protection from what?” He didn’t really expect an answer to the question Namjoon had dodged before, so he wasn’t surprised when he received just another shake of Namjoon’s head and a weary smile.

“Don’t worry about that for now, I’ll explain later. Go home, get some rest. Come back here tomorrow afternoon and we’ll talk more. Taehyung, can you and Jimin help him get back to his dorm? The rest of you, we’re done for tonight.” There was a round of nods, and Hobi and Jin bid the group good night before disappearing. Jungkook was hovering near the doorway when suddenly his escorts appeared, Taehyung smiling again and Jimin looking even more tired up close than Jungkook had at first thought.

“Ready to go, newbie?” Taehyung asked. Jungkook nodded, clutching the charm Jin had gave him. He glanced back only once as he followed the two older boys out of the room, and he could have sworn he saw Namjoon watching him and looking almost nervous. There had to be something he wasn’t being told, something big. But he supposed he’d have to wait until they were ready for him to know.

It wasn’t until they were outside the apartment, with the clear night air to help sharpen his thoughts that Jungkook wondered just what he had gotten himself into.

 

* * *

 

When silence had fallen on the room once more, Namjoon sighed and sank back into his chair. Someday he’d ask their masters why _he_ had to be the leader, and not someone else like Jin or Yoongi. The responsibility was beginning to weigh on him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could handle it all.

“You should have just told him what’s going on, you know.” Namjoon looked up to see Yoongi watching him from the couch. Any earlier irritation he had worn when the others were around was gone, leaving only a mix of calculation and concern in lighting his eyes. Namjoon should have known his oldest friend would have a thing or two to say about the way he’d handled things tonight. For what felt like the millionth time, Namjoon sighed.

“I do know. But it didn’t seem fair to weigh him down with so much at once. For now, it’s not his problem anyway, it’s ours. We just need to keep him safe.” To Namjoon’s surprise, Yoongi’s eyes flashed and a scowl twisted his face, as if the words enraged him.

“’Not his problem’?” Yoongi spat, disbelieving. “Kim Namjoon, are you fucking insane? Of course it’s his problem! If what the masters said is true, and I still don’t know how much I buy all that, then Jungkook is in more danger than he knows. And he deserves to be made aware of it! How long do you think you can lie to him and pretend everything is fine before something happens?”

“You sound like Jin. You two have been hanging out too much.” Namjoon’s words were cool, almost dismissive, and this just seemed to make Yoongi even more irritated.

“Probably because he’s right, which I can’t believe I’m saying. The kid is stronger than we’re used to dealing with, probably stronger than all of us combined. If we found him this quick, it’s only a matter of time before they do, and then what?” Yoongi had always been blunt, sometimes even to the point of being outspoken, and his upfront honesty was usually something Namjoon appreciated when he needed advice or help. But right now, it was just grating against his nerves. Of course he was aware of the risks his actions tonight might have created, but in his opinion it was worth it. They could protect Jungkook until the boy could do it himself, and then everything would be fine. He didn’t need Yoongi reminding him of all that, though.

“Sometimes I wonder why you haven’t just taken over leadership of the coven,” Namjoon muttered and Yoongi snorted, crossing his arms as he made himself more comfortable on the couch.

“Because most of the time, I trust your decisions. And like hell do I want your headache.” He was silent for a moment, before he muttered, “sometimes you just think too much for your own good, Namjoon.” The boy in question smiled wryly.

“My fatal flaw, I suppose.” More silence.

“You know that crystal isn’t going to help for long, right? Jin and Hobi may be good, but none of us have dealt with something like this.”

“I know. I just hope it can buy us enough time before something really bad happens.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this... this took a long time and truthfully I'm not sure why. I struggled writing it for a while and kept starting, then stopping, then starting again. But I'm finally more or less satisfied with this section! It's once again kinda short, but I finished the section I was writing and felt it was a good stopping point for now~
> 
> As always I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts!
> 
> Thanks for reading!

“This is a complete waste of time,” Jungkook complained, sweat beading along his hairline and sticking some of it rather amusingly to his forehead. His sullen gaze was fixed on the boy across from him, who sat with his arms crossed, and stared evenly back at him. Jungkook still hadn’t decided if Min Yoongi had the worst case of resting bitch face he’d ever seen, or if he was eternally unamused with the world around him.

It was probably both.

“It’s not a waste, you almost had it. Just try again.” Yoongi gestured to the candles in front of them and Jungkook resisted the urge to chuck them at him, but knew it wouldn’t do him any good. So instead, after a heavy and reluctant sigh, he refocused on the candles and tried to remember the things he’d been taught so far.

Ever since that first night he’d met the coven, Jungkook had been learning from Yoongi and Namjoon, for it was decided that they were best suited to teaching him the basics of spellworking, and had met with little to no success. Namjoon hadn’t seem surprised, Yoongi had seemed somewhat irritated, and Jungkook was thoroughly frustrated. What if the few incidents he’d had on campus had just been a fluke? What if he didn’t even have magick abilities after all, and it was all just the fault of Taehyung’s grimoire (as he’d been told the strange book was called)? But the coven leader had insisted that he simply had to learn how to more willingly access his powers, rather than let them control him.

Jungkook thought he would rather like to teach Namjoon how to access the pain from a swift kick to his shins.

It had been almost two straight weeks of sitting in this room with Namjoon or Yoongi, staring at a line of candles, in the dark, willing them to light, and the most he’d accomplished was the vague feeling of heat rising from the wicks. And this, supposedly, was some of the most basic magick he could learn.

When what felt like an eternity had passed and not even the slightest singe could be seen on the candles’ wicks, Yoongi sighed. Jungkook looked up and watched as Yoongi began to gather the candles back up. Frustration threatened to choke him again, and he let it, saying nothing.

“Stop looking like you just let down an entire army of kittens,” Yoongi told him, and for the first time that day didn’t sound like he was snapping. “It’s just going to take time to get the hang of it. But if Namjoon thinks you will, then you will. Jimin said so too. If those two have faith in you, you must have some kind of ability.” Jungkook was too bewildered to say anything, and simply stared at the blonde boy. While he had never been truly unkind in their time training together, he hadn’t exactly been encouraging, either. And if he didn’t know better, he would almost say that Yoongi was doing exactly that. “It just takes time,” Yoongi repeated when Jungkook didn’t speak.

“What if it takes too long?” He asked eventually, and Yoongi raised his eyebrows for clarification. “If I’m this slow at just learning to light a damn candle, it could take me months or longer to learn anything else! What if I’m too slow, and something really bad happens?” A truly terrifying thought, one he’d been keeping to himself, surfaced then and his voice dropped, barely above whisper as he did his best to voice it. “Wh-what if that bad thing is my fault?” For a moment there was silence in the dark room, then Yoongi sighed again, and Jungkook wondered irrationally if he was ever short of breath from all that sighing.

“That won’t happen. We won’t let it, alright? Just focus on this, on learning. The rest will happen as it happens and we’ll deal with it.” Yoongi’s words were firm with the confidence he carried in himself and the rest of their coven, and Jungkook wished he had even a modicum of that faith in his own abilities. After a moment, Yoongi spoke again. “Let’s stop here today. Go see Jin, alright? You’ll need to recharge that crystal, and he can teach you some incredibly boring stuff about plants or whatever. Same time tomorrow.”

And then before Jungkook could say anything else, perhaps just a simple thank you for the oddly encouraging things Yoongi had told him today, or for the patience he hadn’t expected the older boy to possess, he was standing, and making his way to the door. Jungkook was left with no choice but to follow, unless he wanted to sit by himself in the dark.

* * *

 Jungkook hadn’t told anyone yet, but Jin was quickly becoming his favorite coven member to spend time with. The eldest of their number treated him more like a mother hen would a new hatchling than anything else, and never made him feel stupid for asking questions or not knowing something. He was almost as quick to smile as Hobi, and even quicker to laugh, even if it was at Jungkook’s expense. Sometimes, Jungkook found himself wishing Jin was actually his older brother, though with his always perfect dusty brown hair and bright chocolate eyes that were the entire opposite of Jungkook’s nearly-black shades, there was no way anyone would have ever believed they were related.

Though he had improvised the first night Jungkook met him by using the kitchen of Namjoon and Yoongi’s apartment, Jin typically performed his tasks as the coven’s potions master in a lesser used lab in the campus science building. Charmed to be avoided by Mundanes, the lab was better equipped to handle whatever work Jin needed to do than any of their dorms or apartments. Beakers, measuring tools, Bunsen burners – whatever he needed to mix a potion exactly could be found there. It was the door to this room that Jungkook knocked on after his session with Yoongi, hoping despite the increasing lateness of the evening that Jin might still be there. After a few moments, a voice inside called him in, and he slid the door open to step inside.

It was hardly surprising that the sight of Jin standing over a smooth bowl (wait was that an _actual_ cauldron?!) stirring something, various herbs and things strewn across the table, was what greeted Jungkook when he entered. The older boy contrasted the almost eerie looking nature of his task by being dressed in a baby pink button down, sleeves rolled up, and wire-framed circular glasses threatening to slide down his nose. He looked up when Jungkook closed the door and smiled at him.

“I wondered if Yoongi might send you here tonight. I’m almost done with this one. Don’t just stand there like that, sit.” Jungkook obeyed, pulling a stool back from beneath the lab table and perching on it so he could peer into the small pot.

“It’s a potion to amplify spell casting,” Jin said in response to Jungkook’s unspoken question.

“How does it work?”

“The person who will cast the spell drinks it and it opens them to being able to absorb more energy from the world around them to direct into their magick. Or you can pour it over your wand and use that, or feed it to a familiar.” Jin shrugged. “No one really does that sort of thing anymore, though.”

“I-I see.” Silence fell as Jungkook watched Jin add a few more ingredients, fiddle with the heat of the flames, and stir a lot. There was a whole lot of stirring that went into potion-making apparently.

“Why would we need something like that?” Jin hummed quietly, adding a few more ingredients and stirring a bit before he spoke again.

“I’m sure you’ve gathered something is happening, something that Namjoon isn’t eager to talk about. He’ll tell you about it all soon, as it’s rather complicated, but we need to be prepared for anything and everything. Having this at our disposal will make that easier.” More silence as Jungkook watched him finish throwing things in the pot and mixing them with varying degrees of vigor. The small puff of smoke that rose from the cauldron signaling the spell’s completion only startled him somewhat as he ducked back to avoid it rising into his face. Jin chuckled and began to divide the potion into several smaller bottles that he capped and placed carefully in a bag on the table next to him. Finished, he dusted his hands off and smiled at Jungkook.

“Alright, your turn. Let’s see that crystal of yours.” Nodding, Jungkook lifted the chain from around his neck and handed it to Jin. The elder turned it over, frowning. “The charm has worn off surprisingly quickly already… Yoongi must have noticed. Good thing you’re here. We’ll get this taken care of no problem!” He began bustling around gathering supplies, humming to himself again as he piled the various items on the table. When he stopped to look them over again, Jungkook spoke the question that had been on his mind, eating away at him.

“Jin?” The boy in question raised his gaze to meet Jungkook’s, pausing in the act of chopping several herbs. “What if I never get control of my powers?” Perhaps it was the way his voice betrayed him, wavering with his fear and uncertainty, or the way his eyes dropped to where his tightly wound fingers clutched each other on the tabletop, but something about the question gave Jin a reason to reach over and place his hand atop Jungkook’s.

“Your lesson with Yoongi today didn’t go well?” All Jungkook could manage was a shake of his head. “I see. Well, let me assure you Jungkook, even if it takes months, or even years, you’ll get the hang of it. As difficult as it seems now, one day it’ll just _click_ and then magick will feel as natural as breathing.” The surety of Jin’s tone brought Jungkook’s gaze back up to his, this time accompanied by a furrowed brow.

“How can you know that? I thought magick was different for everyone, that’s what Namjoon is always saying.” Jin hummed and resumed prepping his ingredients.

“He’s right, of course. But I know, because even Yoongi was able to use his magick eventually, and we were worried for a time that would never happen.” Jungkook leaned over the table, surprise filling his features.

“Wait, really?! He always seemed so natural with it, like he was using magick his whole life!” Jin chuckled and dumped a few herbs into the boiling pot.

“He certainly likes to act that way. But even though the masters always knew he’d had talent, mostly because of the whole aura thing, it took him almost two years to be able to use his powers normally. And he was one of the original members of our coven.” As Jungkook pondered this revelation, Jin added the rest of the ingredients and lowered the heat. He’d begun stirring again when Jungkook asked his next question.

“What about you and the others then?”

“Quite the nosy one, aren’t you?” Jungkook shrugged. “Well, I suppose it is good for you to get to know us. Let’s see…” Jin trailed off for a minute, and Jungkook watched as he stopped stirring and let his spoon rest against the cauldron’s side before he answered.

“Namjoon was the first of us the masters found, and one of the earliest to manifest his magick - I think he was about thirteen? Since he’s kind of a genius though, it only took him about a month to get a handle on his powers. Yoongi was next, found because he was flaring much like you were, and he almost torched a building at fifteen. Hoseok is still kind of a mystery, but I think it was something about one of his neighbors experiencing bizarre good luck, and he took to magick like a fish to water - he only took like two weeks to get the hang of things…” He trailed off again, this time taking the crystal from its spot on the table and dropping it into the concoction before continuing.

“I was next, and I took almost three months to get the hang of things, mostly because my magick manifested itself in very subtle ways and was a little harder to grasp. The youngest of us - though now that you’re here I guess we can’t call them that anymore - came to the coven as a pair. It’s thought that Taehyung was something of a catalyst to Jimin since they were friends from a young age, and Tae was the fastest of any of us to start using magick. He’s… an oddball, but there has to be one in every group, I suppose.”

“How long did Taehyung take?”

“That’s the thing - he was already in control of his powers when the masters found him, probably had been since he was a kid.” If he was honest, Jungkook wasn’t surprised by this, though the way Jin said it seemed to imply this was extremely impressive. From the moment they’d met Taehyung had seemed different, though he didn’t think a natural affinity for magick was the thing about the blonde he hadn’t been able to put his finger on. “He never really told them how he ended up in Busan with Jimin when he was born in Daegu, though,” Jin continued, “and we can’t find much of anything on him before they started school together. But I think Namjoon has stopped worrying about it since the only really weird thing about him is his personality.” It seemed like Jin was done with his information deluge, turning back to the cauldron and poking experimentally at the crystal. Jungkook watched curiously as the elder nodded, then picked up a slim piece of wood from the table, resting the tip against the surface of the crystal. He uttered a few words, and there was a flash of purple light, and when it was gone, the cauldron was empty and Jin was nodding in approval.

“Alright, this should be all set for you!” He lifted the chain and handed it back to Jungkook. Sure enough, the crystal was once again the midnight purple it had once been. He dropped the chain back into place around his neck.

“Thanks Jin.” His gratitude got him a dismissive wave as Jin began packing up the supplies still lying about.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re one of us now, so your safety is a top priority.” Jin accompanied the words with a ruffle of Jungkook’s hair, then slung his bag over his shoulder. “Can you grab that?” He gestured to the cauldron still resting over the burner, and Jungkook lifted it carefully, finding it surprisingly light. He made to hand it to Jin, but the other waved him off.

“I’ll drive you back to the dorm so just carry it for now.” Jungkook blinked in surprise.

“You don’t have to do that, it’s not a far walk,” he protested but Jin shot him a look that cut off any further arguments.

“That charm may be reinforced now, but it could take a bit to really go into effect. Besides, it’s dark and cold, what kind of coven brother would I be if I didn’t insist on making sure you get home safe?”

“Brother?” Jungkook questioned before he could stop himself. Jin looked equally surprised.

“Of course. A coven is more than just a group, it’s a family Jungkook, and that makes you our brother. And you’re stuck with us.” Before Jungkook tell Jin that what he’d said was really damn corny, or anything else for that matter, his apparent chaperone was heading out the door. Hurrying to follow, Jungkook did his best to hide the smile that threatened to break loose at Jin’s words.

* * *

 On the roof of the campus science building, two figures stood, perched on its edge to watch as Jin and Jungkook made the trek to the parking lot. One of them, currently balanced with his elbows on his knees in a stance that just asked for him to be pushed off the edge in his companion’s opinion, sighed loudly, the sound manifesting as a puff of warm air in the night.

“Of course they’re watching him like a hawk,” he groused, earning a roll of eyes from the boy next to him.

“They’d be stupid not to.”

“Yeah, but it means this is going to be even more annoying.”

“Oh shut up Minhyuk. You’re just mad that Hyunwoo made us tail them because you wanted to go to the movies tonight.” The pair watched as their quarries paused at a simple black sedan. Jungkook disappeared into it first, closing the door and sealing him away from their view. The driver side door opened, and just before Jin got in, he turned and looked in their direction. With a squeak of surprise, Minhyuk rolled rather gracelessly backwards, landing on his side below the roof’s edge.

“Do you think he saw us?”

“He probably _heard_ you. You’re not exactly stealthy.”

“Why are you so mean to me Kihyunnie?” Minhyuk whined, drawing a glare from the other boy.

“Don’t call me that! And I’m not mean, you’re just acting like a dolt.” He directed his gaze back to the parking lot, where the car was making its way out onto the street. Pulling his jacket tighter around himself, Kihyun turned and started making his way back to the staircase entrance behind them. “Let’s go, we need to make sure they don’t report us to any of the others.” He heard more than saw Minhyuk groan dramatically, but the sound was quickly followed by hurried footsteps as he rushed to catch up.

“We could just, you know, use magick instead of going down the damn stairs.”

“I want to make sure they get just enough head start that they won’t sense us using massive amounts of magick to teleport. We don’t want to _get_ caught, we want to catch them, remember?” Minhyuk snorted.

“You really are no fun. I’m telling Hyunwoo to let me take Jooheon next time.” Kihyun rolled his eyes.

“Be my guest,” he quipped. They made the rest of the trip down the stairs in silence, moving as quickly as possible without the risk of tumbling down to the ground floor. When they’d shoved aside the doors to exit the building, Kihyun took a stone, its crimson face carved with a golden rune, from his pocket, and Minhyuk did the same.

“Alright, make sure you stay above them and not too close behind. We want to remain as undetected as possible, though I suspect you’ve already tipped Jin off.” Minhyuk scoffed but nodded, a grin forming on his face.

“Race you there,” he chirped in a singsong voice, turning the stone over in his palm a few times, muttering an incantation under his breath as he did so.

“It’s not a race!” Kihyun’s protests went unheard, as Minhyuk had already disappeared before he could finish. Shaking his head, Kihyun focused his energy into the stone, and then he too vanished, leaving no trace of having ever existed at all.


End file.
